Allegory
by Swiper. No swiping
Summary: What?


Night fell.

It was heavy, filled with pregnant clouds that refused to give birth but still squatted in labor, patient.

And the entire populace of Zoness City was impatient for the storm. It had been a humid morning, it had been a rainy afternoon, and relief had been implied but never given. Evening rolled in with new clouds and then night fell and the air became heavy again.

The streets were still wet, consequently. The resort's restaurants all had an unspoken conspiracy to keep red lanterns perched on the exteriors of their buildings. So that when night did fall, the street would be lined with tiny red will-o-wisps.

But as the streets were still wet, especially from Fox's view, the red lanterns were reflected—so that there appeared to be two streets, two _identical _streets perched one on the other. So that all pedestrians appeared to be walking on a pane of glass, magnetized to their reflections, each to each.

Fox had just seen Wolf O'Donnell.

Actually, Wolf O'Donnell had seen Fox first. Then Fox saw Wolf O'Donnell. They stared, one eye to one eye and one eye to one black hole.

A millisecond must have passed. Then Fox saw Wolf O'Donnell bolt. He saw the lupine glide over the mirror world, disrupting the reflection with the pounding of his boots on the cobblestone.

Other people had stopped on the street, watching the receding form of the criminal, indignant that they had been splashed. Life still continued, even though it was humid. People still had places to go, peacetime to celebrate. They had dressed up so nicely.

Fox McCloud was dressed in a tuxedo. He was due at a dinner in several minutes. It was going to be a military dinner, celebrating the victory. He was on vacation. He had _had a date_, for fuck's sake. Life still continued for Fox McCloud.

Which is why he pulled out the blaster he kept in his jacket pocket and ran after him.

--

Shit, thought Wolf.

The dumpster he was slumped against glowed an otherworldly red, reflecting the lights on the streets. He could see the slow-moving shadows of pedestrians cross it, shadows of animals reflected on the wall of a cave.

He held the gun up to the side of his face, for comfort. It may have been cold and metallic, but it offered a lot.

How did he have the luck to run into Fox McCloud, here. Of course, the possibility of such an event occurring had crossed his mind, once or twice, when he made the plans to hide on Zoness; but the probability was astronomical, so much that he had initially dismissed it as paranoia.

But paranoia pays off. And he had just seen Fox McCloud, standing on the streets of Zoness. His worst fear dressed in a tuxedo and a vacant stare.

Wolf is a coward. Wolf ran. _Well what th' fuck else did you expect me to do? Gun 'im down right on th' street?_

Shit, Wolf's brain fired off a second round of cusswords. He _should've_ just gunned him down right on the street. That would've been easier.

--

The dumpster stood at the end of the alleyway. No doubt about it, the asshole was hiding behind it. Or in it.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he sang. Internally laughing. This was like a game. And he was going to win.

There came a grumble from the dumpster. Fox smiled, narrowed his eyes. Felt like a hunter stalking prey.

"Wolf? I know you're back here. _I saw_."

Wolf hissed to himself, knowing the score. He was cornered. He could either keep quiet and die, or answer and die. Either way, the outcome didn't seem too appealing.

He shut his eye. "All right, arright. What do you want from me?"

Fox fired, one shot. The laser hit the wall above the dumpster and exploded, leaving a charred sunburst on the brick face.

"Shit!" the lupine covered his head with his arms, imaginary protection against a real threat.

"I think that explains what I want." Fox's witty retort.

"You're certainly eloquent."

Fox stepped forward. "No need to be silent, now. Keep talking so I can find you."

Wolf groaned. "You know you still act like a brat?"

And then he laughed when he heard Fox growl.

"Fuck you. If anybody acts immature, it's you. Leaping before you think. Jumping around between hedonistic jobs. You have no sense of justice, and I think _that's _a sign of immaturity, if anything."

"I think abusing yer authority to fulfill some sadistic fantasy of yers probably counts as hedonism, pup."

Fox growled again, stepping forward again. "Listen. I'm the hero here. You're the villain. These roles are cut and dry. For us. We know this. I was on the good team and you were on the evil team."

"T'aint never occurred to you to ask me why?"

"Why what? Why my father was killed? I know why he was killed, Wolf, I know why you killed him. He was trying to do the _right thing_ and _that's why_ you had to kill him."

"No," Wolf paused to grumble softly to himself. "Ask me why I fought for Andross, go on."

Fox made an odd noise like a steam pipe letting off pressure. "I don't care."

Wolf breathed in and out. Then he screwed up his face for no reason. "That's pretty damn cold of you," shouted with less intensity.

"I don't care about you Wolf," McCloud's voice crescendoed, rising from a regular shout to a war cry. "You, the other members of Star Wolf, _Andross_ all were responsible for taking my father away from me—"

He stopped.

A hush fell on the alleyway.

Wolf's curiosity finally got the better of him. He raised his head above the dumpster to look at his opponent.

Fox was a statue, posed to shoot directly at Wolf. Every single muscle in his body was aimed, ready to fire.

"And," the vulpine continued, shouting, "I will hunt you down to the end of the Lylat system—no, the universe—I will hunt you down to the very edge of the _universe_ until I know that you're burning for what _you've done to me_."

Wolf was already there, at the edge of the universe. Between all the rocks and the hard places of reality.

"Come out of there. Olly olly oxen free. Or are you too chicken?"

Maybe the question was rhetorical. Should he answer?

"We could be up in outer space, firing at each other from behind our ships' windshields. It's a game; that's a game. But this is real life, Wolf, this is the ground and the rules aren't the same. And I'm standing here waiting for you and you're too afraid to own up to the rules you've broken. You're too afraid of me to fight me."

No, he should answer.

The lupine unfurled, standing and stepping out from behind the dumpster. And he stood there, plainly on display for Fox. And he watched him, one eye to one eye and one hole to the other.

And he knew how to answer.

"I ain't—" Wolf swallowed, "I ain't afraid of you."

It occurred to him that he was lying.

"What did you say?" McCloud still kept on shouting.

"I said I ain't afraid of you."

The lupine raised the gun. He raised it very slowly. He raised it so that it aimed towards the vulpine in the suit.

He saw Fox begin shaking. No. _Tremble._ Fox was _trembling_. The vulpine held his blaster in front of him, clutching on to it with both hands. In prayer.

"For f-fuck's sake, Wolf," Fox sounded nervous. Fox sounded like he was _afraid_. "Put the gun down. Goddamnit, Wolf, put the fucking gun down!"

Wolf did not.

--


End file.
